A Somali social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers has been deported from the United States after months in immigration detention, returning to Mogadishu amid renewed fears for his safety and growing anxiety within Somali migrant communities abroad.
Mahad Mahmoud, 36, widely known online as “Garyaqaan,” or “The Lawyer,” was deported last month from Minneapolis after U.S. authorities rejected his asylum claim. He says he has since received death threats from the militant group al-Shabab and is now living under heightened security in Somalia’s capital.
Mahad told the BBC that the threats began shortly after his arrival. He declined to share the messages or details of his security arrangements, citing safety concerns.
Mahad’s deportation comes as U.S. immigration enforcement intensifies and political rhetoric targeting Somali migrants escalates. Last month, President Donald Trump said he would end temporary protections that prevent deportations to countries deemed unsafe. Earlier this month, he said he did not want Somali immigrants in the United States and urged them to “go back to where they came from,” citing Somalia’s insecurity.
Somalia has lacked a fully functioning central government since the collapse of President Siad Barre’s regime in 1991. While a federal government operates from Mogadishu, Islamist militant groups, including al-Shabab, still control parts of the country and continue to carry out attacks, including in the capital.
Trump’s remarks followed questions about alleged corruption in Minnesota involving millions of dollars meant for a federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several individuals have been charged, and some Somali immigrants were suspected of involvement.
Videos circulated on social media after the remarks appeared to show immigration officers knocking on doors in Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul, including areas known as Little Mogadishu. The region is home to an estimated 80,000 Somalis, and the footage heightened fear across the community.
migrants.
The BBC spoke with five young Somali men in Minnesota who said they stopped working and left their rented home to avoid immigration enforcement. One said they often go without food and fear being detained.
Another Somali man, who asked not to be identified, said he spent 18 months in U.S. detention before being deported. He said he borrowed about $20,000 to fund his journey and now sees no future in Somalia.
“They sent me back, and everything I worked for is gone,” he said.
He said he is considering migrating again.
“I don’t want to start my life over here,” he said.
– With files from the BBC Somali Service
